Massachusetts gov urges marijuana regulators to go slow on social use

BOSTON (AP) — Republican Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration is again urging state marijuana regulators to hold off on allowing so-called “cannabis cafes,” or other places where pot could be consumed on site.

In a letter Monday to the Cannabis Control Commission, Secretary of Public Safety Dan Bennett warned that licensing social consumption establishments — as envisioned in draft regulations — would likely lead to more people driving while under the influence of marijuana. Bennett also wrote it could increase access to recreational marijuana for minors.

Baker wants regulators to focus at least initially on licensing retail stores where customers could buy marijuana but not be allowed to use it on the premises.

The governor, who opposed legalization of pot, told reporters Monday that “people should crawl before they walk and walk before they run.”